Emotions Gone Wrong
by bubbles4eva
Summary: What happens when Sara lets her emotions take her so deep into a case, that she can be the next possible victim? Can the rest of the team pull her back out before it all comes true? Or is it the inevitable?
1. Power

A/N: Hey guys, this chapter is a little short. Don't worry, it will all make sense in the next chapter. Just bear with me. I will try to update consistently, but with school I can't promise anything. I will do my best to update at least once a week. Enjoy, and please leave review. Tell me if you liked it or not and if I should continue. I need at least one review to continue so I know I'm not wasting my time updating.

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or their characters. I am just barrowing them for some fun, meaning I am not profiting from this.

Chapter One: Power

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It was cold. So cold. That's all I can think about. My lungs feel constricted. My bones feel like glass. My skin, white and clammy, feels like a thin layer of rubber covering the glass bones. No meat. No meat on me. Then I hear him. I hear him walking towards me. Scared. I feel scared. No, not scared, terrified. Terrified for my life.

"My dear Lisa. Don't cry." He whispers and then lets out that harsh laugh.

NO! Not him. I'm not crying. I'm screaming in terror. He laughs some more. A screeching laugh. I hate it. I hate this. How did I come to be here? Then his cold hands reach for the buttons on my shirt. I can't move. Even if I weren't bound so tightly I felt numb, I was frozen. My voice goes blank. The screaming is gone. My vocal cords are frozen. Wait, my whole body is out of my control. I try to part my lips, but I can't. All I can do is breath. Breath and hope. Hope that someone will come and find me.

Soon, my clothes are gone. I feel revealed. Revealed as though thousands of people were looking at me. No, I hear him again. He pulls at my underwear. Laughing. At me, he is laughing.

Then it happens. I can feel his body, pressed so close to mine, I could have sworn I could feel every particle of his body. I smell him. He smells of dirt, of blood, and of garbage. Where had he been? Then I feel cold steel at my thin neck. He is going to kill me. And then it's gone. I feel a sharp pain at my stomach. I can't scream. He is breathing heavily. I can smell his putrid breath. Coffee. Coffee was on his breath. Alcohol. Strong whiskey. Hard whiskey. A lot of whiskey. Perspiration. I can smell the perspiration on his skin. A lot of it. He is sweating. I am too. But I'm so cold. So cold, yet I can still sweat. Horrible sweat. Cold beads of sweat rolling down my body. Blood. My blood. It's drizzling down my stomach. Blood, the thick liquid, is running down my thighs, down my legs. I can feel it. People say it's red. Red like the crimson of a dark sunset.

My throat is sticking. I can't utter a word. Not a word. Not one plea of help can escape my lips. Then it's gone. It's black. Nothing. I'm gone. Apparently he enjoys sucking the lives out of helpless people. Power. All for power. Sickening. So Sickening.


	2. Jane Doe

Disclaimer: Hate to say it, but I don't own CSI however much I would love to. Bruckheimer does a better job anyway.

A/N: Hey guys, anonymous reviews have been enabled, so please leave a review.

Chapter two: Jane Doe

Sara Sidle was tossing around in bed when her cell phone shattered the silence.

"Sidle," she answered groggily.

"Sara, hope I didn't wake you, but we've got a DB over here and Catherine has off. Could you meet me at 1933 S. Westhorn Ave?" Grissom was trying to talk over the sirens.

"I'll be there." Sara finished jotting down the address in her scratchy writing before snapping her phone shut.

_Perfect. _She thought. _A distraction. Couldn't sleep anyway._

The ride there was short. It was just around the corner from the lab, so Sara had no problem finding it. The clock was just shy of nine, and it was pitch dark aside from the blinking street lamps that cast that eerie goldish glow around the streets.

The lights from the squad cars were almost blinding as she maneuvered her car into a place out of the way.

Grissom came out to meet her and filled her in as she unloaded her kit from the back seat.

"Jane Doe. She was beaten, raped, and tortured. It looks like she has been here a while. I need you to find any evidence on her before she is moved to the morgue."

"Okay, easy enough. You want me to cover perimeter, too?" It was too simple for such a serious case.

Not until we find out whose house this is. Then we can cover everything else. Until then, we consider the body as the only evidence we've got. I need to go check out a double homicide with Nick and Warrick. Cath and Greg are out tonight. You are on your own." He opened his car door, but before he ducked in, he turned to Sara again. "No emotions. Tonight you are a crime scene investigator, so just stick to the evidence. Keep me updated."

It was completely dark inside. There was only a musty couch in the center of the room and a creaking side table that held an empty picture frame with a broken glass cover.

Sara traveled from the front room to the narrow hall. A uniform was standing in front of a rotting wooden door.

"So, where's my dead body?" Sara asked.

"Down in the basement." The officer pointed down the narrow wooden staircase.

"Wonderful." Sara's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

It was damp and musty down in the basement. It smelled of blood, mold, and decay. There was a single lamp hanging from the ceiling that let off a dim, yellow light. The floor was concrete, hard and cold.

The M.E. was bending over a motionless form in the corner.

"What've you got for me, doc?" Sara set down her kit and walked over, pulling her latex gloves on and carrying a camera.

"This lady had almost everything done to her that could be. She was tortured and raped multiple times. I'm not sure what the cause of death was, strangulation, stab wounds, or starvation."

"When will you know?" Sara asked, wanting to know what she was looking for.

"I've got to get her back to the morgue to be sure, but it looks like it was most likely the stabbing and she bled out. Look at all the blood." He shined his flashlight over the large puddle of dried blood.

"Alright, well let me take a look."

He backed away and let Sara pass, camera at the ready. She had been a pretty woman, despite how thin and sickly looking she looked. It looked as though she had brown hair underneath the matted tangles and dirt. Her face was pale. Very pale. Her lips were the lightest shade of pink. She looked to be in her early to mid thirties.

"Where are her clothes?" Sara noted that the victim was dressed only in gray rags that hardly concealed her frail body.

"Those are her clothes." The M.E. had returned with his assistant and a gurney. Once Sara was through snapping pictures, they bagged her and lifted her onto the stretcher.

"This woman was down here for so long, and no one ever gave her a second thought." Sara said to herself, forgetting that other people were in there with her.

"Sometimes that just happens. People fall off the grid. And perps like this take advantage of their helplessness. It just happens."

Sara walked down the hall to the autopsy room, her stomach jumping. For some reason this case was giving her the chills.

Normally, the autopsy room never had an effect on her. It was almost natural for her never to give it a second thought. But today, today it had a whole other effect on her. She felt cold. Cold as if it was coming from the inside out.

There she was. Now that her hair was clean and brushed, now that her skin was scrubbed and without the black dirt, she looked peaceful. She was still thin. Still pale. But peaceful.

It made Sara's insides turn over. This woman, this human being, had been tortured and starved, and no one cared. No one even knew that such horrors were going on in the world. And now, now an innocent woman was paying the price for everyone's ignorance.

Maybe it was the fact that Sara knew what it felt like to be ignored. Maybe it was the fact that Sara had a similar appearance to the woman. But whatever the reason, this time, Sara couldn't hold her emotions back. She turned around and wiped the tear that had been threatening to spill over. She hid her emotions and turned back around.

"She was thirty-one. Five feet, five inches tall and one hundred and one pounds." The coroner went on. "Our vic, also, had a little disability. She was blind, due to a medication she had to have taken since she was very young. She had no sight, whatsoever."

Sara felt the bile rise in her throat before forcing it back down. It was already horrible enough, and now they found out that their victim had had no sight. She had never been able to look her attacker in the eyes and study why she was being put through such suffering. She had probably hoped to die. Had probably given up on any hope. This thought broke the CSI's heart even more. Because, if you are so helpless, the only thing that helps you plow through is hope. She had been without sight and hope.

"Who took the evidence from the body?" Sara asked.

"Grissom did. He was just in here about half an hour ago."

Sara stormed out of the room.

Grissom's office door was slightly ajar and she could see the outline of him sitting at his desk, doing some paperwork.

"Why didn't you tell me you took my evidence?" Sara had made her presence known by slamming the chair down in front of his desk.

Grissom didn't even flinch when Sara had made a loud entrance.

"I thought I would help you. A simple thank you will be fine." He bent over his paperwork once more.

"No, I don't need help on this one. Once I find out who that Jane Doe is, then I am half way done. I can do this." Sara argued.

"Catherine called." Grissom said in a conversational voice. "She said that Lindsay is spending the night at her sister's so that they can go to the aquarium."

Sara saw where this was going. "No, I don't think so. I can't have her come in and take control of my case."

"Well, you don't have a choice. I need someone to keep an eye on you." Grissom realized that those words weren't of the smartest choices, and saw one of Sara's tempers coming.

"What?" Sara was now standing.

"I meant make sure you aren't starving yourself of food and sleep. You do have a tendancy to neglect yourself."

"Fine, but I don't want her telling me what to do."

"I'll do my best to communicate that to her." Grissom returned to his papers.

"Oh, and Sara?"

Sara turned around again. "Yeah?"

"Next time you want to talk to me, a simple knock will suffice."

"Sure thing."

A/N: I know, a little boring, but once I get the case into place, then the interesting things start to happen. I don't know anything about medical terminology or anything else, so forgive me if I make a mistake. Please leave a review on you way out! Much love.


	3. Identify and Confront

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own CSI. Maybe in the next lifetime.

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers, you guys are really encouraging. Oh, and my English teacher sucks, so that's just what I need! Hope you like.

……………………………………………….

Sara looked up as Catherine walked into the break room. She was just draining her fourth cup of coffee when Catherine spoke.

"Well, I hear you're handling the case well enough. Just letting you know I won't be peering over your shoulder every step." Sara could tell that she was trying to be subtle about it, but appreciated that Catherine was telling her that she wouldn't be taking control, but just be a partner.

"Thanks, Cath," Sara stated, "Well, I was going through any missing persons report for a blind woman of our Jane Doe's profile. I got two hits. A Lisa Minotta and a Cheryle Markson. You want Cheryle and I'll take Lisa?"

"Sure." Catherine took the file from the brunette's hand and walked out, her colleague going the other way.

………………………………….

_At Cheryle's_

Catherine walked up to the little house with a slight feeling of foreboding. It was never fun interviewing the victim's families, even if you're not sure that they are the real family. Just seeing what their life had been or even seeing a normal, unharmed family made the victim seem all the more real. It showed how much they had, or how little, and what the perpetrator had taken away.

Tapping lightly on the door, Catherine turned around. It was a nice, cozy little house on a quiet street. Not much her taste, but still charming.

At the sound of the door Catherine turned back around.

"Yes?" The petite woman at the door still had the chain hooked on the door.

"Yes, Catherine Willows, LVCL. I was wondering if you know a Cheryle Markson."

"Yes, actually she's my sister." The woman answered. "My name is Dana Lawson."

"Yes, um, do you know where your sister is?" Catherine hated this part.

"Chery has been missing for about three months now." Dana was now getting choked up.

"Would you mind if I came in a moment?"

…………………………………………..

_At Lisa's_

Sara was standing on the doorstep of a rather large house. It was secluded and private and had taken about ten times around the block to find.

An elderly, tired looking woman answered the door.

"May I help you?" The lady asked in a small, quiet voice.

"Sara Sidle with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. I was wondering if a Lisa Minotta lived here." She showed her I.D.

"Lisa has been missing for about a year now. I'm her mother, Attica Minotta. "

"We think we might have found you're daughter's body, Mrs. Minotta." Sara was never good at this. She had never been talked to gently, so she wasn't sure how to do it. Catherine was the one who could break the news smoothly and kindly.

"What?" the Mrs. Minotta looked at her through strange eyes. A look Sara was used to now, but could never stop herself from wanting to run away.

Sara pulled out the photo of the Jane Doe and showed it to her. "Is this your daughter?"

The lady gave a small nod, before breaking down and sobbing.

…………………………………………..

Sara was walking back into the lab when a voice called out.

"Sara Sidle?" The voice echoed across the half empty parking structure.

Sara turned around, but found no one.

"Over here."

Sara found the source of her confusion. A man was holding a gun straight at her head.

"Now, I want you to give me your weapon, slowly." The black hooded figure walked over to her and took her gun. He then grabbed her upper arm and dragged her into a corner. Sara wasn't stupid enough to scream, but she wasn't sure of the whole lab couldn't hear her heart beating hard against her chest.

"What do you want?" She spat out. She was so scared, but she never came off as scared. Just angry. Very angry.

"If you were smart, you would shut up and listen." Sara could fell the metal pressed hard against her skull. "I want you to mark the blind girl's case an unsolved. You are to tell your coworkers that you never found out her identity and that you are closing it."

"You know I can't do that. I'm not the only one on this case. Anyway, I wouldn't if I could. I will make it my personal business to make sure that your filthy ass is locked away in prison." Sara knew that she wasn't doing herself good.

He then wrapped his arm around her throat and threw her against the wall. He now had one hand on her neck and the other cocking the gun at her face. She could smell his horrible breath. Whiskey. A whole lot of whiskey. His face was hidden, but from how hard he was holding her, she could tell that a woman like Lisa Minotta wouldn't stand a chance.

"Watch your mouth little missy. You better watch your back. If that case isn't closed by the end of your next shift, I will make it _my personal business _to make you the next one on that hard, cold, metal table in the morgue. Trust me; it won't be a pleasant death." He then closed the gap between them. "It might just be fun. We could make it very memorable."

He moved his face closer to hers. So close Sara had to turn her face to avoid contact. "I'll be watching you. Leave me a note under the trashcan in the back of the lab. You have forty eight hours before I come pay you a house call."

At that, he turned and ran to the other side of the parking lot, leaving Sara too shaken up to even run after him.


	4. Lance Smeths

A/N: Hope you liked the last chapter. I hope I didn't get out of character. Please let me know if I ever do, because we hardly ever see Sara get emotional except on a few occasions. Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys rock. And to all those that read and don't review, well, as much as I like the feedback, I'm glad you like my story. I'll stop blabbing now and actually let you read. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or their characters, blah, blah, blah….You know the drill.

Chapter Four:

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"He said what?" Grissom was watching a shaken up Sara explain everything that happened in the parking structure.

Well, not everything. She didn't share that he had threatened her by telling her she would become the next victim, but almost everything.

"I told you three times," Sara was getting frustrated with her supervisor's calm demeanor and his casual approach to understand everything, "He said to leave a note under the back trashcan telling him whether it was closed or not. Doesn't sound like a very smart guy. I could easily leave a note, doesn't matter if I closed it or not."

"No, Sara. This was a very smart move. Apparently, he wants you to be in an empty, quiet area that you will be alone in. Are you sure that's all he said?" Grissom removed his glasses and stared at the woman before him.

"You know what else he said, don't you?" Sara asked that rhetorical question.

Grissom nodded.

"Unfortunetly, Sara, I am obligated to-" He started.

"Don't finish that sentence, Gris. I am not going to be taken off this case. I can help even more now. I'll be careful."

"Sara, never in my right mind will I let you anywhere near this case after this. Nick and Warrick have wrapped up with their case, so now we can afford to take you off. I am looking out for you Sara." Grissom, assuming the conversation was over, turned back to his papers.

"No, I don't need you to look out for me. I can look out for myself. Right now, our job is to look out for the victims. I am going to do that no matter what. This guy has won if you take me off this case." Sara stood up now.

"Look, if I let you continue on this case, will you stay with Nick whenever you are on the field? I'll have Catherine stay with Warrick."

Grissom could see the fire rear in her eyes, but knew she wouldn't argue.

"Fine."

With that, she left the office.

Sara forgot to tell him about the house guest she was about to get.

………………………………………………………………………

"Sara!" Greg Sanders was running down the hall, waving a plastic bag.

"What's up, Greg?" Sara examined the contents of the bag.

"We were able to extract semen from our vic. It looks as though he decided to have one last go on her before killing her. We got a hit. A guy named Lance Smeths, thirty-nine years old. His mother owns the house we found her in. She died about a year and a half ago. He lives in a house down on Lavson Street." He finished.

"So, after six months, he decides to use it to hold poor, helpless, blind women." Sara was disgusted. This guy was using his dear old mom's house to torture the people who are too strong to say no.

"Have you seen Nick?" Sara asked.

"Yeah, down in the break room getting some coffee." Greg had hardly finished talking before Sara was sprinting down the hallway towards the break room.

………………………………………………………………………

_Break Room_

"So, Catherine, fill me in." Nick sat down with a steaming cup of Greg's special coffee.

"Blind Girl, Lisa, tortured, raped, murdered over the span of a year's time. Found beaten, stabbed, and in one of the worst states ever." Catherine summed it up.

"Wow,"

"Nick, I need you now." Sara called from the doorway.

"Just one sec Sara, I-" Nick started.

"No, now." Sara left the doorway and turned towards the parking lot.

"Sara, what's wrong?" Nick had just scalded his throat by pouring the coffee down.

"I think I found our guy." She never took her eyes off the car.

"Well, maybe we should tell Catherine." Nick knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"I don't think so. I'm going straight to Brass."

………………………………………………………….

"Mr. Smeths! Open up." Captain Jim Brass knocked hard on the door. The house was a small and rundown shack with broken windows and overgrown weeds.

"Wonder if anyone even lives here anymore." Nick continued.

Just then the door opened. Facing the trio was a short, young looking man. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a while, his clothes had a few pizza stains on them, and a hint of alcohol was on his breath.

"What can I do for you?" he said, a dazed and out of focused look on his face.

"I'm Jim Brass with the LVPD, this is CSI Sara Sidle and CSI Nick Stokes with the crime lab, we're investigating a murder. We were wondering if maybe we could ask a few questions." Brass took over.


	5. Vanished

Here we are! Finally, an exciting chapter. Well, I think so. Hope you like.

Disclaimer: Don't own CSI, or anything affiliated.

……………………………………………

"Sara, you haven't slept in three days, go home, and get some sleep, maybe you could attempt to even eat. You're skin and bones." Catherine prodded the younger CSI out of her daze, not for the first time that night.

"No, Catherine. I still haven't found that brother. The victim was counting on us to find her when she was still living, I won't fail her a second time by not catching the freak that did this." Sara stared at the computer screen, her eyes glazed over.

Catherine gave up and walked into Grissom's office.

"Gris, Sara is depriving herself again." Catherine left the office, not waiting for a reply.

……………………………

"Wow, look Warrick, it's the walking dead." Nick joked, looking at the circles around Sara's glazed eyes and her pale face.

"Ha, ha. I got the test results back from the house. Nothing out of the ordinary. There were no unknown prints, but a lot of the two brothers. But, it was their mother's house." She sniffed and attempted to wake herself again with a swig of coffee.

"Sara, go home now. I will not let you kill yourself here. Not in my lab." Grissom came in, file in hand and looking as passive as ever.

"I'm almost done." Sara returned to the microscope.

"No. Warrick, finish up in here for Sara." He looked at Sara again, "Now."

"Fine." She took off her lab coat before grabbing her stuff, and headed for the parking lot.

………………………………………….

Sara walking into her apartment and looked around. It looked like no one even lived there. There was one couch, a table with a chair, a small TV set, and an old and empty fridge.

Throwing her keys onto the table, Sara flipped the TV on to get some noise. The loud noise startled her and she quickly hit mute, before heading for her bedroom.

Once there, Sara got an odd feeling. That feeling that you get only when you are being watched. Sara turned around. Nothing. It was quiet. Too quiet.

Suddenly, Sara felt a wet cloth shoved into her face from behind. She tried to turn around and knee her attacker, but he had his arm locked around her waist tightly. She recognized that smell. Chloroform. Couldn't they come up with something more original? But she hardly had time to think. Her head became woozy and the suffocating grip on her ribs loosened as she slumped over, trapped in a world of darkness.

……………………………………….

The next day, the team was all congregated in the break room, either getting coffee, stuffing a quick breakfast into their mouth, or, in Nick's case, snoring on the couch.

"Get up, Nicky." Catherine came over, coffee cup in hand, and kicked Nick's feet.

"Wazzup?" He asked, dazed and out of it.

Everyone laughed out loud, before Grissom came in.

"Alright, the police got the other Smeths brother and they are bringing him in for questioning. I want Catherine and Warrick back at Josh's and get more out of that kid. Nick and Greg, the M.E. has got some new evidence off the victim, you are going to go retrieve it and find out its significance. Sara, you are going to go with me and confront our little friend, Lance. Okay?"

Everyone nodded before noticing something. Sara wasn't there. Normally, she was the first one there before anyone else. No one really knew what time she got there since she was the first. But now her absence was starting to be noticed.

"Where is Sara?" Warrick voiced what everyone was thinking.

"I'll go call her. Warrick, you can do the honors of taking her job. Greg, you can go get the evidence alone. Everyone got it?" Grissom was still composed as ever, but everyone else was a little set off by Sara not showing up. That was so not like Sara.

Grissom returned to his office and picked up the phone, dialing Sara's cell, first. After he got sent to her V-mail, he hung up and tried her home. Nothing.

He figured that she was still getting a well deserved slumber, and left it alone. Although he really needed her skills on this case, he decided it would be better for Sara and the case to just let it be.

…………………………………………

Sara woke up, a throbbing head ache making her vision blurry. She could feel her hands and feet bounded and tried to move. She couldn't.

Finally, a figure started to come into focus. A tall man was moving towards her before kneeling beside her. She was lying on a hard, cold surface. Concrete, she concluded.

"Ah, poor Sara. You didn't follow the instructions I gave you, did you?" he clicked his tongue disapprovingly, "Now, I will teach you some obedience."

He stood up and swung his foot into her stomach over, and over, and over. She was out of breath and was positive that she had at least three broken ribs. All she knew was pain. Thrashing, sharp pain all over her midriff.

He knelt down again and untied her arms. She pushed herself up and attempted to take a swing at him, but he grabbed her wrists and threw her against the hard wall. She heard a crack from her hand and knew that her wrist was broken.

"Now, when I tell you something, you do it." He said before throwing her back onto the ground. Sara couldn't hold up anymore. The room went black, and the pain slowly eased away as she fell unconscious.

………………………………….

Catherine was starting to get really worried now. They had tried calling Sara over ten times now, and still received no response. But her thoughts were interrupted as Grissom walked into the lab she was analyzing the DNA of both brothers, given up willingly.

"Catherine, you guys can go home now. Shift is over in half an hour and we can't do much now. The brothers lawyered up."

"Okay, have you gotten a hold of Sara yet?" She asked, removing her goggles and coat.

"No, I was going to call her at the beginning of shift again. She probably is taking a well earned break. Bye." He walked out.

Catherine was on her way to drive Nick home, since his car was in the shop. She suddenly had an idea.

"Nicky, I think I'm going to check on Sara real quick. I will be able to sleep better."

"Since when have you two gotten along?" Nick asked.

"Well, we tolerate each other. I mean, we don't loath one another. But she is still my colleague." Catherine answered wisely.

He just shrugged and murmured an agreement.

They pulled up outside Sara's apartment and got out.

"Do you remember which number she is?" Nick asked.

"I think its A26."

To be sure, they checked the mail boxes.

They reached her door and Nick hammered on the door.

"SARA! Open up." He called.

"She isn't home."

The two CSI's turned around to find a little boy standing there of about five years old.

"Hi, what's your name?" Catherine stooped down to look him in the eye.

"Bryce."

"Well Bryce, I'm looking for my friend, Sara. Do you know where she is?"

"No, but she is really weird. She only goes out at night, like a vampire or something. But she is a nice vampire. She showed me this kit thing one time. She said that's what she worked with. There was this really cool light, too." He answered enthusiastically.

"Wow, she showed you a lot of stuff, huh? Well could you tell me if you saw anyone out here?" Catherine felt she was making little progress.

"There was this really tall man. He was scary. He took the key that Sara put under the plant over there. Then he went into her house and closed the door."

At those words, Nick checked for the key and realized that the man was polite enough to return it. He jammed it into the lock, and threw the door opened.

It was completely clean. Nothing out of place. She had a very impersonal living space. Nick spotted her keys, gun, kit, and phone on the table. Something was seriously wrong.

He half walked, half ran to the bedroom, Catherine close behind, and found what they had been expecting. There was a chloroform soaked cloth thrown into the corner and a broken lamp on the floor.

Sara had been kidnapped.

………………………………….

A/N: Hope you liked. Please leave a review. Not much to say except that next chapter should be up within the next week.


	6. Aches and Pains

A/N: I know I have a lot of notes, but I just wanted to thank my reviewers for taking the time to leave a little encouraging note for me, and I wish I could reply to all of them, but doesn't have that lovely little trinket, but ah well. You hear enough from me anyway.

**Greywolf18: **I thought his coffee was something like that, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for the tip!

Disclaimer: I am just a lowly fan, trying to add some joy into the CSI world, so please don't sue me!

Aches and Pains:

Sara could taste the blood in her mouth. He hit her again, and again. He claimed to be teaching "manners". Her stomach felt like she had been ripped in two, her head was pounding so violently it made her dizzy, and her limbs felt as if they would be falling off at any point.

"My, my, look at the strong Sara now. Not so tough here are you?" He mocked as he moved around her. He still had the ski mask on that he had been wearing when he took her.

Before she could stop herself, she spit the blood in his face. He grabbed her neck from behind and dragged her to her feet, throwing her into the wall. The walls and the cement floor were cold, as if she were underground. There were no windows and the only source of light was the dangling construction lamp that hung from the middle of the room.

She saw him walking over. _'Please let him leave. Just leave me alone.'_ She thought.

All the fight had left her. She had tried to throw a few punches, and she never went willingly, but now, the fight had left her body. She had no more strength.

……………………………………….

"He's not answering." Nick slammed his phone shut angrily.

"Just think for a minute. We can go get our kits and start processing. We can't call Ecklie, Sara should have been taken off the case a long time ago." Catherine motioned for him to follow her outside.

When they got outside, Catherine noticed that the little kid, Bryce, was still standing there, watching them with interest.

"Nick, why don't you go get the kits, I am going to talk to the kid again." She said, handing him the keys.

"Hey, buddy, remember me?" She knelt down again, to see him eye to eye.

"Yeah," he looked down and played with his fingers.

"Where is your mommy?" Catherine looked behind him, as if waiting to see his mother come out from the door.

"She sleeps late on Saturdays." He answered.

"Oh, well I need to ask you a few questions, if that's okay."

"I guess," he looked up at her.

"Do you remember what that man looked like?"

"Umm, he was tall and looked really mean. He had a big black mask over his face. He also had a shiny thing in his belt." Bryce's voice trailed off a little.

"Can you remember what he was wearing, or maybe what he was doing, what he smelled like?" Catherine listed off.

"He did smell really funny. Like fire, or that stuff that mommy drinks. And he was wearing blue pants and a shiny black jacket, like that." He pointed behind Catherine.

She turned around and saw Nick with the kits, in a black leather jacket.

"What?" he asked.

'Bryce, did you see him take Sara, or did he leave alone?" Catherine returned her attention to the little boy.

"She was sleeping and he dragged her out."

"Thank you so much Bryce, you have helped a lot." Catherine stood and shared her newly found information to Nick.

"So he dragged her all the way to his car without anyone else noticing?" Nick stated. He was opening his kit and pulling out the camera.

"I don't know, but he dragged her out of the apartment." Catherine joined him in taking pictures.

……………………………………………

They had finally gotten a hold of Grissom, who soon met him at Sara's apartment with Warrick, Brass, and some officers. Her apartment had now become a crime scene. Before long, they had collected all they needed before heading for the lab.

"Well isn't it obvious who took her?" Nick stirred his third cup of coffee before joining the rest of the team around the table.

All of them thought silently about what to do next. The other Smeths brother claimed not to have anything to say, so they had to let him go, and there was no DNA left at the apartment for them to say who it was for sure.

"Guys, highway patrol caught Lance speeding over on the Strip, they're bringing him in right now." Brass announced, before heading off, the rest of the team in close pursuit.

……………………………………………

Sara glanced around her surroundings once she woke up again. The light was very dim, so she could only see a few feet away from her. The air was getting colder and all she could think about was the pain coursing through her body. Her hands were now bound behind her on the chair she was placed on, making her broken wrist excruciating. Add that to the blinding headache, the jabbing ribs, the swelling bruises, and her many cuts and scrapes, and all Sara could do was pass out again.

……………………………………………

A/N: Hope you liked. Don't know how many more chapters there will be. But no frets, there is plenty more of this story to feast your greedy CSI eye's on. I will try to update real soon, because the next chapter is going to be a fun one to write!


	7. The Phone Call

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI, however much I may dream.

……………………………

"Where is she, you son of a bitch!" Nick got out of his seat now, only to be pushed back down by Grissom.

Both of them were getting irritated with Lance Smeths. His lawyer, Mr. Crawford, started to point his finger at Grissom.

"You control your CSI, or I will file a complaint." He stated in his nasal voice. At that, Nick got up and left. "Look, we came the first time, cleared up that little problem because you couldn't get a warrant, and now you want to charge him with kidnapping a CSI he has never even met? After he was here before?"

"Now, we have a warrant for his arrest." Brass pushed the form across the table.

"On the charges of kidnap, rape, and murder." Crawford read to his client.

"That's insane; I never did any of those things!" Lance was now getting frustrated.

"According to the evidence, you did." Grissom looked over at him as if they were discussing the weather.

"But you can't charge him with kidnapping Sidle; there is no evidence of that." The lawyer said, now rising. "Lance, say nothing more. We are done talking to you."

…………………………………………

"Now what do we do? Sara could be dying right now, and we are no closer to finding her than we are to finding a million dollars." Warrick pointed out.

"Well its not like we are sitting here twiddling our thumbs, Warrick, so calm down." Grissom snapped, which was unlike him.

"But arguing with each other is not much better, so let's stay a team and figure this out." Catherine interjected before Warrick could make another comment.

"So we follow the next thing that comes up, after Lance Smeths." Grissom stated.

"Josh Smeths." Nick concluded.

……………………………………….

"Listen man, I didn't touch your cop." Josh Smeths was looking really nervous in the interrogation room. He was huddled over with his hands clasped on the table and a little shiver vibrating through his body.

"She is a crime scene investigator, you remember her, right? She paid you a little visit a while ago. Her name is Sara Sidle, and she looks like this." Brass held up Sara's I.D. photo. "Ring a bell?"

"Oh, yeah, you, her, and that other dude came over to Lance's." A look of comprehension was plastered on Josh's young face.

"Well, we need to know where your brother might go to hide something or maybe to be alone." Brass felt like he was talking to a three year old.

"Uh, he owns a small shack over in Victorville, but he hardly ever goes there." Josh responded.

"How come it didn't show up on his record? We researched all property he owned."

"Because it is in my Uncle Juden's name. He gave it to Lance when he graduated."

"Thanks," Brass muttered before dashing out the door.

……………………………………

"Listen, we can fight this, you won't be in here for long. I know how to twist this kind of weak evidence." Mr. Crawford assured his client, Lance Smeths who was now sporting an orange jump suit.

"Right, well, I get a phone call, right?" He asked his lawyer.

"Definitely, Lance, I'll get that for you right now." Mr. Crawford stood up and led his client into the hall. There was a payphone and the guard let him pass with a word from the lawyer.

_The Phone call:_

"Look Josh, I need you to do that for me, okay. In turn, you can do whatever you want with her. Also, don't let them get any of Lisa's stuff, okay. Don't screw up." Lance growled into the phone.

"_Hey man, I'm not a murderer. I can't." _Josh's voice was half masked with static, but Lance could make out the words.

"Man, are you my brother or not? How many times have I gotten you out of a pickle? The Police can't find her alive." Lance was getting frustrated.

He made out his brother's murmur of consent before slamming the payphone back into the cradle and turning around, a smug look on his face for all to see.

…………………………………………..

A/N: Sorry, it's a little short, and sorry for taking so long. I had to sort through and try to fix all the weird concepts in previous chapters. If you noticed them to, please forgive me. I wrote one of the chapters wrong, so it messed the whole thing up. I will try to detect the error and fix it soon! Oh, and thanks to all my reviewers! You guys are awesome!


	8. Found and Lost

A/N: Sorry, still haven't found that error, I just wanted to get this chapter up soon before the week started, so here it is.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, blah, blah, blah. You all know how it goes.

"He owns a shack over in California. I am going to go get some men and we will meet you over there." Brass reported to Grissom.

Catherine, Grissom, Nick, Greg, and Warrick all piled into Catherine's Denali and rushed over to the location that Brass had given them. But they were not even close to the little shack. They had two hours of driving to do before even hoping to find Sara alive.

But Josh Smeths was already half way there. He was shaking and could hardly focus on the road. He had a gun in the duffel bag that was under the passenger seat.

He took a deep breath before saying to himself, "Calm down Josh, this will be easy. No big deal."

He tried to shrug off the fact that he was about to kill someone. But it wasn't working. Oh well. He still had an hour to calm himself. A whole hour left.

"Your honor, the DA has no reason to hold my client until the trial. What evidence they have against him is hardly enough to not allow bail." Mr. Crawford argued skillfully.

"Bail is set at two hundred thousand." The judge declared.

As soon as he was allowed, Lance Smeths drove as fast as his car would allow to help his brother.

Josh's shaking hands clutched a gun that was pointed in Sara's pale face.

"You don't want to do this. You will get into a lot of trouble. Why don't you just put the gun down and untie me." Sara was desperately trying to reason with the scared kid who now held her life in his hands.

"No, if I don't do it, Lance will be mad at me." Josh half whispered, half said.

"Lance is going to go to prison. You don't have to worry about him. But you don't want to go to prison with him, so just put the gun down."

"SHUT UP!" He yelled before turning around and running his hand through his hair.

Before he could make a decision, though, his phone rang shrilly.

"Hello?" he answered. Sara could tell he was near tears.

_"Josh, it's Lance. I made bail. You need to take her to mom's house before they get there. Now, Josh, you hear me?" _Lance's voice was the sweetest thing Josh had ever heard in his life at this point.

"Okay, I'll take her." He hung his phone up before turning to Sara. "We're taking a little trip."

His voice was more confident now, which worried Sara. He came over and slashed the ropes that were binding her to the chair, not before putting new binds on her wrists, though. Her broken wrist was throbbing already, and the newly acquired pressure was just making it a whole world worse. It took all her strength not to gasp in pain as he tightened it further. He was muttering under his breath, meaning that Lance had shown him a special way to tie the ropes. It seemed like a well practiced speach now.

_'I could beat this guy to a pulp.' _ Sara thought to herself. But she couldn't risk getting her brains shot out, and she was already badly bruised all over her body, so she really couldn't trust herself to hold out.

He led her out to the car waiting out front. Her body was aching so bad, she had to will herself not to collapse right there. But her knees served her well, and she almost sighed in relief when he shoved her into the back seat. They sped away, a cloud of dust following the tail of the car.

"Stay down." He ordered her.

She leaned her back down across the other two seats, trying to get her hands into a comfortable position. This was going to be a long ride.

The rest of the team, closely followed by Brass and some officers, stopped sharply in front of the small little house.

Racing in, they found nothing in the front rooms, or in the single bedroom. Upon more searching, they came across a small stairway in one of the closets that led down. Carefully walking down the moldy wood, the five of them were very disappointed to find an empty room. With a little trail of blood on the floor.

"They were here." Greg whispered.

Nick kicked the metal chair and it slammed into the wall with a satisfying crash. "We missed them!" he yelled.

Catherine leaned her head against the concrete wall. They had nothing to go on now. They lost Sara again.

A/N: Had a lot going on here. It sounded more convincing in my head. I might edit it later, I just wanted to get another chapter up. Hope you liked.


	9. Back to the beginning

A/N: Sorry the other chapter was about three chapters in one. I kind of rushed it when I was writing. I know it has been a while since I updated, but there was a family emergency, I won't bore you with details, so I have been off the internet for a while. I hope you like this chapter, even though it's a little short.

Disclaimer: See other chapters.

……………………………….

"Good work, Josh." Lance was circling Sara, who was now tied to yet another chair.

"I brought her to mom's house like you asked, can I go now?" Josh was scared now more than ever. He knew what his brother was going to do. He had witnessed it on too many girls, always waiting for the next order from his older brother. But he couldn't be apart of this one. Not when the police were so close to catching them.

"No, you know you can't leave yet." Lance smiled evilly, still staring into Sara's cold and empty eyes. He had big plans, now that the cops were temporarily off their trail.

………………………………

"We don't have anything anymore." Catherine whispered to the group, now surrounding the table in the break room.

"We have to think like him, to be able to follow him." Grissom stated, now starting to lose his calm act.

"Obviously," Nick spat.

"Hey, we all have to just take a breather, and then we can figure out what his next move is." Warrick added.

"You don't understand, Warrick. Sara doesn't have time for us to take a breather." Greg said.

"Enough from everyone. Sara doesn't have any kind of chance if we turn on each other." Brass had just walked in.

"When you get stuck at the end, go back to the beginning." Grissom concluded.

"Lisa Minotta." Nick said.

………………………………

Sara finally gave in and gasped out in pain as Lance tightened the bindings on her hands. Her wrist felt as if it was completely ripped off, though she knew that wasn't true.

"Painful, eh?" He asked with an evil grin on his twisted face.

He then pulled out a silver knife with a silver handle. It glistened brightly, catching the light from the little bulb on the ceiling. Sara could only imagine what he was going to do with that. She could feel the blood draining from her face as he slowly moved towards her. She tried to move, to do something in her defense. But she felt so helpless, so weak that she was disgusted with herself and hated, no, loathed him for making her feel that way. This thought gave her a small boost of energy and she flung her foot out just as he came within her reach.

Lance half cried and half growled in pain and surprise as her foot made contact with his thigh. It had been slightly off target, but Sara was satisfied. That is until her looked at her with fire in his eyes, now even more outraged than he had been.

He got up and moved faster and more determined towards her. She swung her leg a second time, but he was expecting that and grabbed her foot, before twisting it around, forcing another cry of anguish to erupt from his prisoner.

"Now, now, have you forgotten the manners I taught you?" He asked in a mock voice.

He then brought his knife up and slashed the bottom of her shirt, just enough so that he could see a sliver of her stomach. He moved his rough hand to the opening and ran his hand over her abdomen. Sara was so disgusted and disgraced that her throat felt as if it was stuck together and bile seemed to stir in her stomach.

He moved his hands higher before pulling them out and attempting to unbutton her pants. Sara couldn't even move she was so appalled. What she would give to get out of the situation. He almost had her zipper down before the door behind him opened.


	10. Hostage

A/N: Sorry it has been so long since I updated. I am so swamped with school, and everything else (including the holidays). The story should end within the next chapter or two. But I can't promise anything, because I said that I would update consistintly and look at me! I hope you like this chapter!

Lance rushed behind Sara and held the knife to her throat just as the police burst in.

"Mr. Smeths, I would highly recommend that you release her now!" Brass had his gun pointed at the kidnapper. Behind him, Josh was being led out in handcuffs.

Lance laughed bitterly, "You're kidding, right? She is my ticket out of here."

Brass realized that this wasn't going to work, Lance was just too smart to give up, even with multiple guns poised, ready to blow his head off. Brass just watched as he held a pale and shaking Sara even tighter. A trickle of blood ran down her throat due to the pressure.

Sara could feel herself shaking, and her whole body was numb. Her veins were pulsing with fear and her head was pounding with pain. The sudden burst of sound had jolted a pain in her that she didn't even know she could feel. Almost as if it were caused by being so relieved, yet so terrified at the same time.

"What is going on in there?" Nick growled in frustration and fear. Mental pictures of Lisa Minotta was going through his head. Her limp, frail body; her pale and lifeless color; her blank swirl of gray eyes. He couldn't let the sick piece of crap do that to Sara.

The rest of the team felt the same way. Everyone felt so powerless in the situation. But one of the most shocking and scary thing happened that night. Brass came out, gun limp in his hand, looking beat.

"The guy won't budge. I don't know what to do. He has a knife to her throat." He sighed.

"Let me talk to him." Catherine said.

Everyone looked at her. She had a grave look on her face, and they all could tell that there was no changing her mind now. Almost everyone present knew that Sara's and Catherine's relationship was very unstable. They knew she wanted to try and make it up to her.

"Uh...Catherine I don't think..." Brass started, but he trailed off because she was already handing her gun to Warrick and treading across the dead lawn.

"Please, just let me go." Sara was pleading, with difficulty due to the knife pressed hard against her windpipe.

"Shut up," Lance was trying to think of a way to get out of there. He knew if he gave her up he would be as good as dead, and if he kept her too long, they would kill him anyway.

Sara then felt the first wave of comfort. Catherine's steady and motherly face appeared. Mothers had a way of making the whole room seem comfortable, even a smelly old underground den that reeked of death and confinement.

"Cath," Sara half breathed, half whispered.

It broke the other woman's heart. Sara was a sight that no one would want to see one of their colleagues in. Pale, sweating, shivering, and bleeding. And Catherine knew she was terrified out of her wits.

"Hi Lance, my name is Catherine," Catherine nearly kicked herself. Is that how you start a conversation with a severely mental person? A severely mental person who has your friend by the throat, no less.

He smiled dirtily. "Do they make all the Las Vegas CSI's like you two? I know where I am going to apply." It was a sorry attempt to intimidate.

"Look, you are not doing yourself any good keeping her down here. She is dying. If she dies, it will be so much harder on you in court. You will probably take the needle." Catherine was somewhat satisfied with her firm voice.

"Look, lady. I am dying anyway. Might as well go down fighting." He spat.

So it continued for about twenty minutes. Catherine was doing her best to keep her cool, despite the serious attitude she was receiving.

Then something happened no one expected. Sara collapsed and fell limp into her captive's arms.


	11. Saved

Disclaimer: See other chapters

"Hey!" Lance looked down at his limp captive and shook her slightly.

Catherine was mortified, but took advantage of his distraction. She ran over and elbowed him in the back as he was bent over. He dropped Sara and toppled over her. Catherine kicked away the knife that hung loosely off his right finger. It skidded across the floor and hit the opposite wall. Lance stood back up and took a swing at Catherine's face, but she ducked.

"Bitch," he launched himself at her, but hit the chair instead, sending a clanging noise bouncing off the bare walls. Brass and his men came rushing down, guns drawn, alerted by the noise. They apprehended him and took him out.

"Good work, Cath." Brass patted her shoulder and walked up the stairs.

Catherine just stood there, unable to move. The rest of the team came running in, followed by paramedics. Everyone went to Sara's side. They looked her over and loaded her on the gurney.

"You must have done one hell of a job." Warrick commented. Catherine smiled slightly before turning around to face him and the rest of her colleagues.

"How is she?" Catherine asked in a worried voice, watching them wheel her out, Nick and Greg following.

"They don't know a whole lot yet. We can meet her at the hospital. Come on, we can head over there now." Warrick took her arm and guided her out.

…………………………………………………

At the hospital, Nick was pacing, Greg was sitting with his head in his hands, Warrick was standing at the window, hands on the sill, Grissom was standing against the wall with a passive look on his face, while Catherine sat in one of those horribly uncomfortable white plastic chairs. Everyone was asking the same questions. Was Sara okay? Would she be out soon? How much longer did it take? Why are these chairs always so uncomfortable?

"Sidle?" a tall doctor with white hair was holding a chart in his hands and scanning the room.

"That's us." Nick said as they all rushed over.

The doctor sighed before talking. "Miss Sidle has suffered from minor head trauma, a badly broken wrist, smashed ribs, multiple abrasions, and a fractured shoulder. We had to perform surgery on her wrist and we are still in the process of some tests on her head trauma. It looks promising, though, so there are few worries. We also had to make sure her ribs didn't puncture anything, and it's a miracle they didn't. She is going to spend a few days here minimum, and then she will have to be observed for two weeks before going back to work."

"Where is she now? Can we see her?" Catherine asked.

"She is resting now, in room C15. Down the hall, to the left, and third room on the right. Not too long." He walked away, and the CSI's followed his directions.

Sara was lying in the dark room, looking as lifeless as ever. Sunlight was fighting to get past the heavy shades, but only a few streams managed to leak through. Everyone felt even more depressed after seeing her condition. It was very silent in the sterilized room. Nick went and got a few extra chairs, and they all sat in peace, the only interruption was a nurse coming to check her vitals every so often. After about twenty minutes, Grissom had to go back to the lab and fill out his report. Then Warrick had to get home. Greg remembered he had a date in two hours. Nick was reluctant to leave, but Grissom had called him to come and fix a slight problem in Analysis. Catherine stood up to walk out, before Sara's eyes slowly opened.

"Hey Cath," She whispered in a hoarse voice.

Catherine turned around at the low, scratchy greeting. "Glad to see you are awake, Sara."

She took her seat again and waited for Sara to break the thick silence.

A/N: Hope you liked, another one soon!


	12. epilogue

Disclaimer: See other chapters

**Epilogue**

…………………………………………….

Sara was home after a few days, and everyone on the team had taken turns to go and check on her. Everyone noticed the mysterious disappearance of the intense tension that used to be between Catherine and Sara. Ever since they had had a talk at the hospital, they realized that life was too short to hold a grudge with an empty base.

It was now three weeks after they had found Sara, and she was returning from a well deserved break. She, of course, was the first in the break room waiting for assignment. After her first week of leave, she was itching to get back to the lab and catch some bad guys. It took everything they had to keep Sara from going back; Catherine even had to sneak her police scanner out after her turn to check on Sara. They had really seen how mad Sara could get that day.

"Sara, surprise, surprise. Wow, if I had a doctors note to excuse me for six weeks, I would be vacationing right now." Nick commented as he poured out the old coffee and opened the canister of fresh grounds.

Sara took a deep breath in, letting the smell of coffee fill her up. "I never knew that one drink could dictate my life." She went over and retrieved a chipped mug from a little rack behind the counter.

"None of us did until we had Grissom for a supervisor." Warrick said as he came in, closely followed by Greg.

"Did I hear my name?" Grissom walked in, case files in hand, and Catherine came in trailing behind.

"Now Sara, if you don't feel up to it…" Grissom started.

"Really, Grissom, I'm fine. It has been three weeks, the only problem is my wrist, which won't really be a problem. It's just a bruise." She said.

"Sara, most wounds run deeper than skin." Grissom left it at that because he knew he would not be able to convince her not to work if she had a doctors note saying she could, which she did.

After their cases had been handed out, Greg, Catherine, and Warrick headed over to the strip to investigate a double murder, and Nick had forgotten something in his locker that he went to get. Sara was filling up her third cup of coffee, waiting for Nick to return. Grissom hung around, waiting until Sara turned around.

"Oh, hey Grissom," She said, sipping at her drink.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay, not only physically, but emotionally, too." He said.

"Since when did you care?" she blurted out. A few tense moments followed until Sara tried to fix her mistake. "I know that sounded harsh."

"Sara, I think that some things happen to point out something in our life that has been neglected for a long time. When things like that happen, we sometimes don't know it right away." Grissom sat down.

"Are you saying I'm insane?" Sara asked.

"No, Sara," He stood up again and picked up his papers. "This is all just a result of emotions gone wrong."

The End

A/N: I hope you liked the story. Please review and tell me how the overall thing was (what you would change, what was good, etc). It was fun writing, and I am already working on the next one. (I don't think I ever noted that this was my first posted fic).

Jenna


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